A Proposal
by TheAngryTaco
Summary: As the Garuru Platoon prepares for a new mission, Pururu receives a message from Headquarters that will change her life.
1. Chapter 1

A Proposal  
Chapter 1  
by TheAngryTaco

A/N: Don't you just love plot bunnies?

The idea for this came up when I was trying to write something completely different. At first, I considered just discarding it, but it wouldn't leave me be. It wanted to be written. Plus, I've been itching to write GaruPuru for a while now.

And so, here we are. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Keroro Gunso or any of the characters from said show.

* * *

Pururu glanced behind her as the door to the medical bay slid open. She put down the needle she was polishing, then turned and dutifully saluted as her leader walked in. "At ease," he said, nodding at her.

She relaxed and smiled at him. "What brings you here, Lieutenant?" she asked. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I am perfectly fine, Chief Medic," Garuru replied. "It's nearly lunch time, and I wanted to make sure you were joining us."

"Oh, of course," she replied. "Thank you for reminding me."

He nodded, then turned and left.

Tororo and Taruru had already scarfed down half of their food by the time Pururu arrived. Garuru shook his head at them before offering Pururu a plate. She nodded her thanks and hid a small blush before helping herself. As she ate, Garuru started talking about their newest mission assignment. At once, she turned and gave him her full attention. They had been asked to make a supply run to the Keronian base on a distant planet called Pentonia. A squad of Vipers fond of attacking supply ships was in the airspace above Pentonia, which is why the Garuru platoon had been selected to make the run. Then a scuffle between Tororo and Taruru forced Garuru to abandon his explanation and pull the two apart. Pururu caught Zoruru's eye as Tororo whined about his cookies going missing, and they exchanged an exasperated look before they resumed eating.

A beeping alerted them all to an incoming spacecraft. The platoon all gathered at their stations as Garuru tuned in to see what was going on. A pink Keronian on a hoverbike waited patiently outside, smiling cheerfully. "A mail frog?" Pururu wondered out loud.

Garuru frowned. "Odd that we would receive paper communications, especially when we're so far from Keron," he agreed. "But there's no reason to turn her away."

He opened the door, granting the pink Keronian access to the ship. She motored up to their bay and saluted. "Mail Carrier Meruru," she said in greeting.

"Welcome," Garuru replied. "I am First Lieutenant Garuru."

The mail frog reached into her bag. "I have some mail for you and your crew," she replied. "Please sign and stamp them."

The platoon gathered around Meruru as she began to distribute her deliveries. Garuru received some paperwork from Headquarters, Taruru a letter from Karara, Tororo a new copy of Hackers Monthly, and Zoruru an oddly-shaped package. Pururu looked at Meruru expectantly as the assassin walked away, but the pink Keronian closed her mail bag. "Nothing for me?" Pururu asked.

Meruru shook her head. "Nope, not this time," she said.

Pururu looked down. "Oh, ok," she said quietly. "Thank you anyway."

The mail frog frowned. "I'm so sorry," she said. "Were you expecting something?"

"Oh, no," Pururu replied. "I just...you know..." She gestured toward her platoon.

Meruru followed her gaze and understood at once. "What's your name, ma'am?"

"Chief Medic Pururu," answered the violet Keronian. "And you don't have to call me ma'am."

Meruru gave her another salute. "Understood," she replied. "I'm sorry I don't have anything for you this time. But I promise that as soon as there's mail for you, I will be here."

Pururu gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Meruru," she said. "Don't worry about it though."

Meruru gave her a long look, but then returned the smile. "Hope to see you soon!" she said, getting on her bike and riding off.

Pururu allowed her smile to drop for a moment, sighing. Then she forced a smile back to her lips and returned to her station. Garuru glanced up from his paperwork. "Nothing for you?" he asked, surprised.

The medic shook her head. She heard Taruru gasp. "Are you serious?" he asked, standing and putting his hands on his hips. "That's unacceptable!"

"No, really, it's all right..."

The blue frog ran out of the room. All four remaining platoon members exchanged bewildered glances. "What on Keron?" Pururu asked.

"Pu pu, I don't even try to understand him anymore," Tororo remarked.

A few minutes later, Taruru returned, clutching a large envelope. Panting, he ran over to Pururu and offered it to her. She hesitantly accepted it. "To the Chief Medic," she read before opening it and pulling out a folded sheet of paper. When she unfolded it, she found a crudely-drawn picture of a pink blob with a small heart on it. Written above it were the words "The coolest Medic ever" with an arrow pointing at the blob. She looked back up at Taruru, who was smiling expectantly. "Is this me?" she asked with a strained grin.

He nodded eagerly. She fought to keep her expression pleasant. "It's...lovely," she managed. "Thank you, Taruru."

"You're welcome!" he replied happily, walking back to his seat.

Pururu quickly folded the drawing back up and shoved it into a little pocket in her station. She caught Garuru's eye as she did so and could almost swear he was smirking. But it went away as quickly as it had come as he programmed the coordinates for Keron into the ship. "This is going to be a long one," he advised them. "We're a full three days out from Keron, and then it will take at least a week to get to Pentonia, and that's only if all conditions are favorable. I need all of you at your best to carry out this mission as efficiently as possible."

The platoon saluted. "Yes, sir!" they chorused.

Another beeping sound made them all jump. Turning the monitor back on, they saw that Meruru had returned. "Sorry to bother you again!" she said. "But I found more mail for you in my bag. My mistake!"

Garuru sighed, clearly impatient to get going. But he allowed her on the ship once more. "I promise, this is it," Meruru assured him. "I'll be out of your hair after this."

She handed him a thick envelope as she said this. Then she walked over to Pururu, smiling. "Looks like I have something for you after all!" Meruru said happily. "Sign and stamp?"

Pururu blinked, then found herself grinning as she accepted her own envelope. Meruru gave the platoon a final salute, then zipped out the door and vanished into space. She put her hand on one end of the envelope, but then decided to wait until she was alone to see what it was. She looked up at Garuru. "I'm returning to the medical bay," she told him.

He nodded at her, busy with his own mail. She stood and skipped out of the room, humming merrily to herself. When she got to the medical bay, she pulled up a stool and sat down before eagerly tearing open her mail. Inside was a brown folder, one that she recognized immediately as being an arranged marriage profile. "Not again," she sighed. "Maybe one of these days they'll realize this system doesn't work." She peered at the folder. "I hope this one is at least normal."

She flipped it open, not really caring about who was inside. Then she let out a gasp, her eyes growing to the size of moons. The folder slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor. The picture of Garuru stared up at her, his eyes sullen and aggressive, almost as if he knew she had dropped it. Her mouth moved wordlessly as her mind tried to comprehend what had just happened. Behind her, she heard the door open. She whirled around to find herself face to face with the frog in the photograph. They stared at each other for a long moment. Then his gaze dropped to the folder on the floor. "I see you received the message from Headquarters," he remarked.

Pururu's face turned scarlet as she picked it up. "Yes, yes I did," she answered shakily.

Garuru gave her an odd look. He walked over to her and put a hand on her head. "You're rather hot, Chief Medic," he commented. "Are you unwell?"

She shook her head frantically. "No, I'm fine," she said quickly.

He removed his hand and frowned. "Are you certain?" he asked.

"Absolutely."

"Very well then. May I sit?"

She blinked. "Oh, of course," she replied, pulling up a second stool for him.

The two sat down, staring at each other. Pururu clutched the folder tightly, trying to figure out what to say. Garuru coughed slightly. "I know you didn't have much time to read this, but did you see the letter that came with it?"

Pururu shook her head, turning her gaze back to the object in her hand. She flipped it back open and pulled out the letter in question.

_To Chief Medic Pururu of the Garuru Platoon-_

_Enclosed is the profile of First Lieutenant Garuru of the Garuru Platoon for your consideration._

_As you know, it is normally not allowed for members of the same platoon to be matched for marriage, but as you were deemed to be an exceptionally good match, this rule has been waived. We are aware of your current mission, so we are extending the deadline to accept or decline this offer to after your departure from Pentonia, though you may always submit your answer before then._

_We look forward to your response._

Pururu reread the letter three times before it truly sunk in. She slowly looked back up at her leader. He looked at her curiously. "Chief Medic, you really look unwell," he commented. "Would you like me to find you some medicine?"

She shook her head firmly. "No, it's ok," she insisted, putting the folder down and clasping her hands tightly together.

For a moment, Garuru's expression turned exasperated. Then he reverted to his normal look. "What are your thoughts on this?" he asked.

She bit her lip. "I...I really don't know," she said softly. "I just...my brain hasn't had time to process this yet..."

He nodded. "I understand," he replied. "Would you prefer to discuss this later?"

"If that's okay."

"Of course," he said, standing. "If it is amicable to you, I'll come speak to you this evening after dinner."

Pururu nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She watched him leave, listening carefully to make sure he was really gone. Then walked over to one of the cots and picked up a pillow. Burying her face in it, she let out a high-pitched squeal as she slid to the floor. Wrapping her arms around it, she squeezed it tightly and looked off into the distance.

"Why?" she whispered. "_Why?_"

* * *

Remember to leave a review and let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

A Proposal  
Chapter 2  
by TheAngryTaco

A/N: I return with a vengeance.

I want to give a big shout out and thank you to all of my readers and reviewers. I'm going to keep writing this anyway, but your kind words and encouragement give me even more motivation. Please, continue to enjoy.

Mandatory disclaimer: I don't own Keroro Gunso - that's a silly thought. I also borrowed Ponono from Mister Don Johnny Cadet Sir.

* * *

After a while, Pururu made herself get up. She sent the pillow to be cleaned, then pulled out every single needle that she had. She got to work, polishing each one furiously until they all gleamed. Then she carefully arranged them by size, meticulously comparing each one until they were all in order. Once they were back in their proper places, she began sorting bandages, organizing the medicine cabinets, and scrubbing every surface she could reach.

Finally, the medical bay was the very definition of clean. Pururu searched around for another task to keep her mind off of the situation, but there was nothing left to do. Sighing, she sat back down on her stool and picked the folder back up. Her eyes wandered over the profile, reading information she'd already known for years, hoping something would give her an easy answer. After several minutes, she finally gave up and put the folder aside, her face pink. "What am I going to do?" she asked aloud, burying her face in her arms.

She tried to think of who she could possibly go to for advice. "I can't go to anyone in this platoon, that's for sure," she muttered. "Definitely not my parents...Keroro and his platoon have questionable logic at best, so I can't ask them..."

She let her head fall against the counter. Then it hit her. "Of course!" she gasped. "I'm an idiot!"

After carefully checking to make sure the hall was clear, Pururu quickly made her way to the communication deck. She locked the door behind her and scurried over to the phone. Crossing her fingers, she punched in the numbers and waited anxiously.

It rang twice before she heard a click on the other end. "Hello?" said a female voice.

"Miss Ponono?" Pururu asked.

There was a pause. "Pururu?" the other Keronian asked, surprised. "How nice to hear from you! How have you been?"

"Well enough, thank you," the medic replied nervously. "And yourself?"

"Oh, doing all right myself," the older frog answered. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"I...well, I need your advice," Pururu explained.

"Oh?" Ponono responded, her tone growing more serious. "What's wrong?"

She listened without comment as Pururu told her about the arranged marriage offer and her inability to decide what to do about it. "Forgive me, Pururu, but I don't understand the difficulty. Do you want to marry him or not?" Ponono asked when she had finished.

Pururu put her face in her hands. "I really don't know," she said. "It's...complicated."

"...Ah," Ponono commented as a lightbulb went off in her head. "You're worried about romance...or lack thereof, if Garuru hasn't changed since I last saw him."

The younger Keronian blushed heavily and groaned.

"Well, if that's the case," Ponono went on. "You have to ask yourself one question: Will you be happy in, say, twenty years if you marry him?"

Pururu considered the question. "It's hard to say," she replied. "I think I probably would...Garuru's difficult to figure out, but he's a good leader and he's always treated me well."

"Well, whatever your decision, I'll be happy for you," Ponono promised. "Though may I ask one thing?"

"Certainly."

"If you do decide to go through with it, I hope you'll invite me to the ceremony?"

Pururu smiled. "There's no way I'd have it without you," she assured Ponono. "You're more like my mother than my actual mother."

Ponono sighed. "I wish I could tell you to think otherwise, but knowing Biriri..." she paused. "Well, no sense in dwelling on it. Best of luck to you, Pururu."

"Thank you, Ponono. I'll try to call you again soon and let you know," Pururu said, feeling better as she hung up. Glancing at the clock, she saw that she had a fair amount of time before dinner, so she returned to the medical bay to study Pentonia and figure out what vaccines she would need to give out.

By the time she left for dinner, she was at full confidence again. Pururu merrily skipped out of the deck and down the hall to the kitchen. She smelled an oddly sweet scent mixed with something burning. Then she remembered that it was Taruru's turn to cook. She braced herself before entering the kitchen, nearly coughing up a lung as a cloud of smoke hit her in the face.

It was utter chaos. Stacks of dishes, covered in various substances of every color imaginable, were stacked high on the counters and in the sink. Both ovens were covered in something yellow and pink with smoke making its way through the cracks in the doors. Another counter was completely stained with pink and purple as Taruru attempted to mix something. "Taruru?" Pururu asked weakly. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, hey!" Taruru said cheerfully. "I'm baking a cake!"

"Cake for dinner? That's not very..."

He waved his hand dismissively. "I know it's not what you're supposed to do," he replied. "But one should never resist the call of cake! And the cake called to me tonight."

"If you say so," she replied, not sure how else to respond..

Behind her, she could hear the rest of the platoon come in then stop short. "Pu pu, what happened in here?" Tororo asked. "Did a Lorenell get on our ship again?"

"No," Pururu answered. "Taruru was making...dinner."

"Oh."

Garuru walked past her and studied the stack of dirty dishes. He looked back at Taruru, who had coated himself in icing while trying to decorate the cake. "I expect you to clean this all up yourself, Private," the lieutenant said sternly.

"I will, don't you worry!" Taruru replied, saluting his leader quickly. "Now, go sit while I finish it."

The purple Keronian stood still for a moment, considering whether or not to remark on the younger frog giving him an order. Then he walked over to the table and sat down. The rest of the platoon copied him with various looks of annoyance on their faces. "I vote that next time, we just don't tell him it's his turn," Zoruru grumbled.

Pururu gave him a withering look, after which he fell silent. Taruru didn't seem to notice as he placed a gigantic piece of cake in front of her. She stared at it in shock. "Taruru, this is way too big," she remarked.

"But it's a special day!" he protested, serving a similar piece to Garuru. "We need to celebrate!"

Tororo glared at him as he was served a smaller piece. "What exactly are we celebrating, pu pu?" he asked.

Taruru stayed silent until he and Zoruru both had their pieces. Then he looked eagerly from Pururu and Garuru. Her nerves promptly returned. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Don't you have some exciting news?"

Pururu's pupils shrank in shock as Garuru frowned at the blue Keronian. "I wasn't aware that we had any news to share, good or bad," he replied.

Taruru smacked his forehead impatiently. "How is your engagement not big news?" he demanded.

Pururu promptly choked on her cake as Tororo and Zoruru forgot their dinner entirely. "Are you serious?" Tororo asked, grinning evilly.

"Completely!"

Zoruru's eye narrowed sharply. "This has to be a joke," he commented. "A very poorly thought out one at that."

Taruru shook his head, grinning, though his smile faded as Garuru fixed him with a hard stare. "And where did you acquire this information?" the lieutenant inquired calmly.

"I heard Pururu talking to someone about it earlier," Taruru explained. "And when I heard...I was just so happy for you guys!"

Garuru gave Pururu a questioning glance. She shook her head frantically.

"Well, you are mistaken, Private," Garuru replied. "We have not made a decision yet."

Zoruru nearly fell out of his chair. "You mean he's serious?" he choked.

"Chief Medic and I only received the offers a few hours ago," Garuru replied. "We haven't had the chance to discuss it in detail yet."

Tororo actually did fall out of his chair as he started laughing uncontrollably. Taruru looked down, his smile gone. "Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't mean..."

Pururu stared down at her plate as her appetite vanished. She pushed the plate away, then stood and began to walk toward the door. "I'm not hungry," she muttered, slipping out before anyone could call her back.

As soon as she got to her room, she slammed the door behind her and locked it. Then she collapsed on her bed. She hit her head against her pillow several times, muttering quietly to herself. There was a gentle knock on her door. She lifted her head wearily. "I'm not here at the moment," she called. "Please leave a message at the beep."

"Chief Medic, may I come in, please?"

Pururu cursed herself, but forced herself to her feet and did as she was asked. As soon as the door was open, Garuru walked in. She nervously closed the door behind him, then pulled up two chairs. The two sat in silence for a moment. Then he spoke. "I apologize that I did not intervene with Taruru. I know that's not how either of us wanted them to find out."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault, Lieutenant," she said quietly. "It's mine...I should have kept my voice down."

He looked at her curiously. "Who were you speaking to about this?"

"Oh, just...someone from Keron," Pururu answered. "I needed some help getting my thoughts in order."

"I see," he replied. "Have you come to decision?"

She took a deep breath. "I have...my answer is yes," she replied. "What about you?"

"My answer is also yes."

She blinked several times, not sure she had heard correctly. "Did you just say yes?" she asked, stunned.

He nodded. "I was quite surprised to receive any offer at all, let alone one for you. But after carefully considering the matter, it's a very logical match. We're very skilled in our fields with high ranks, we have the fortune of already knowing each other, and although I do not presume to speak for you, I hold you in the highest regard."

Pururu's heart skipped hopefully. "Is that so?" she inquired, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Yes. You're completely devoted to this platoon and to your duties. You're a loyal spirit and a team player. You very rarely make any kind of mistake, and when you do, you acknowledge it and take steps to ensure it won't happen again. You're a worthy soldier, and I'm honored to have you serving with us."

Her heart sank with every word. She knew that this was extremely high praise and that she should be pleased by it, but the only emotion she felt was sadness. "Thank you very much, Lieutenant," she replied. "I only hope that I continue to be worthy of such praise."

Garuru noticed her shift in demeanour. "I know that you said you are not ill, but you still seem unwell," he remarked, standing up. "We can send our answers to Headquarters in the morning. In the meantime, try to get some rest."

"I will," she promised as she walked him to her door. "Good night, Lieutenant."

"Good night, Chief Medic."

* * *

Remember to leave a review and let me know if there's something I can do to improve.


	3. Chapter 3

A Proposal  
Chapter 3  
by TheAngryTaco

A/N: Witty banter and stuff. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Keroro Gunso or the characters of that franchise. However, I do own Chikuku.

* * *

The next morning, Pururu stared at herself in her mirror. She inspected herself for any flecks of dirt, turning around several times before she was satisfied. Then she carefully adjusted her hat, ensuring that it was sitting just so on her head. After she could find no more corrections to make, she exited her room and made her way to the kitchen. Somehow, the room was completely spotless. If she hadn't seen the state of the kitchen the night before, she wouldn't have believed there had ever been a mess at all. She looked all around, wondering how long it had taken Taruru to do this.

A loud snore made her jump. Turning around, she spotted the blue Keronian curled up in the corner, fast asleep. Sighing, she walked over and gently shook him. "Taruru," she said quietly. "Wake up."

"Hm..."

He tried to stretch, his eyes blinking open. "Oh, good morning!" he said, springing up and saluting. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Pururu replied, standing back up. "Why were you sleeping in here?"

"Ah, well...I was cleaning until about two in the morning," Taruru admitted. "I kind of passed out in here after I finished."

Pururu winced. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Fine and dandy!" he answered, running over to the fridge. "Let's get some breakfast."

"All right."

She pulled out some dishes as he found some food for them. As he served it, he glanced at her. "Are you sure you're feeling all right?"

Pururu looked confused. "What do you mean?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Yesterday..." he started hesitantly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"Oh," she said, feeling her cheeks turn pink. "It's fine, Taruru," she added quickly. "Don't worry about it."

He peered at her for a long moment. She held his gaze, forcing a brittle grin to her lips. It appeared to satisfy him for the time being. "So," he began, changing the subject. "How many needles am I going to have to hide from before we reach Pentonia?"

She giggled, relaxing a bit. "Only one this time," she assured him. "Pentonia's a fairly safe planet."

He grinned as he carried their plates over to the table. "Glad to hear I'll be able to sit down afterwards," he replied.

"Sit down after what?"

The two jumped as Zoruru appeared next to them. He gave them a suspicious look. "We don't have to endure more pointless injections, do we?"

Pururu gave him a stern look. "Absolutely," she said. "And they are not pointless. Need I remind you of the last time you avoided vaccinations?"

A shadow passed over his face. "No, Chief Medic," he replied. "I remember."

She gave him a nod, her expression softening. "Go get something to eat," she said.

He went to the fridge as the final two platoon members entered the room. "Never thought I'd see Garuru be the last one up," Taruru commented.

A look from his leader made Taruru silently return to his food. Pururu nervously nibbled at her own breakfast, not looking at her...fiance.

That word felt so awkward.

It wasn't until everyone was seated that Pururu realized she'd been chewing the same piece of food for a good minute. She quickly swallowed it, trying to appear as composed as possible. For a moment, all seemed relatively normal. Then Tororo looked over. "So, when's the wedding?" he asked, smirking.

Pururu made a mental note to sharpen her needle before giving Tororo his shot. Garuru appeared to be having similar thoughts as he eyed the young hacker. "I would appreciate it if you refrained from making inquiries of that nature, New Recruit," he said.

"Pu pu pu, you're no fun," the tadpole complained.

The platoon fell into an uneasy silence for the rest of the meal. After they finished, the kitchen was turned over to Tororo for cleaning duty as the rest of the platoon filed out. Garuru gave Pururu a silent nod, and the two made their way to the communication bay. Pururu took a deep breath as the door closed behind them and Garuru began to dial the number for Headquarters. She waited anxiously next to him, a part of her hoping that no one would pick up.

"Headquarters, Arranged Marriages Ward! Private Chikuku speaking! How can I help you?"

The perkiest, most grating voice Pururu had ever heard blared through the phone. It reminded her of a hundred claws all being scraped down a chalkboard at once. Garuru's expression indicated that he was strongly considering hanging up, but he managed to restrain himself. "Who do I speak to about confirming an arranged marriage agreement?" he finally asked.

"You can speak to me!" the girl answered.

Garuru closed his eyes, clearly counting to ten. Pururu gently pried the phone from his hand. "All right," she said. "We wish to confirm the arrangement for First Lieutenant Garuru and Chief Medic Pururu."

There was a pause on the other end. "Garuru and Pururu?" Chikuku asked, typing something. "Excellent! I was hoping you'd say yes."

"...Oh?" Pururu asked politely.

"Yep! Naturally, I was shocked when the match was suggested. I mean, an officer and his subordinate? Talk about scandalous! But then, as I started looking closer, I realized that it was beyond perfect. I mean, why wasn't this match tried sooner? So, I..."

Pururu held the phone away from her as Chikuku rambled on. She could feel her dignity draining away with every irritating word. "How do people like her get hired?" she muttered.

Garuru just shook his head. "Everyone deserves to work," he replied quietly. "And this job suits her quite well."

The Medic managed to turn her laugh into a cough. The Lieutenant walked over and felt her forehead, causing Pururu's cheeks to regain their pink hue. "Are you certain...?"

"Yes, Lieutenant, I'm fine."

By this point, Chikuku had figured out something was amiss. "Hello? Hello?!" she yelled.

Pururu hastily put the phone back to her ear. "Here," she replied.

"Ah, ok," the girl said. "You're all set."

"Really? That's it?"

"Other than you'll have to call us back when you have a date confirmed, yes. Congratulations, you two!"

Pururu and Garuru both breathed a sigh of relief as she hung up. "Would you like some headache medicine?" she asked drily.

Garuru shook his head. "Not necessary," he replied as he opened the door.

Pururu opened her mouth to speak again when the other platoon members came spilling into the room. Lieutenant and Medic stared down at them as they fought to untangle themselves. "Care to explain yourselves?" Garuru asked.

"Oh, um..." Taruru started. "I was looking for the Chief Medic! Yeah. I don't feel well."

"I see," Garuru replied, not believing him for a second. "And the two of you?"

"Pu pu, I found Taruru listening against the door and wanted to see what he was so interested in."

"Hey!"

Zoruru shook his head. "I was trying to get them away from the door," he told Garuru.

Taruru and Tororo immediately started to snicker. "What?" the assassin snapped.

"Trying to get us away?" Tororo laughed. "More like trying to listen yourself after we told you what was going on!"

Zoruru glared at the tadpole. "I hope you're not calling me a liar..."

"Enough."

The platoon instantly fell silent at their leader's voice. "We have a great deal to do over the next few days. When I finish speaking, I expect to see you all getting to work. Understood?"

Everyone nodded. "Good," Garuru commented. "Go."

They didn't need to be told twice.

After they had all scurried away, Garuru put a hand to his forehead. Pururu walked over and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. He glanced back at her for a moment, then shook his head. "I think I may take you up on that offer after all," he said.

She smiled. "Of course, Lieutenant," she replied. "Come with me."

Pururu led him to the medical bay. Garuru sat down and waited patiently as she fetched the proper medication. Carefully, she shook out two pills, then handed them to her leader. He swallowed them gratefully. "Thank you."

"Of course," she said kindly, replacing the bottle on the shelf. "You can take more in two hours if you need it."

"That shouldn't be necessary," he told her as he stood. "But thank you again."

Pururu nodded. "Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Chief Medic?"

She swallowed nervously. "When do you want to start planning the...the..."

"The?"

"The...wedding."

A heavy silence fell between them. Pururu hastily looked away, trying unsuccessfully to stop from blushing. Garuru cleared his throat. "We should have a little time to spare in the coming evenings, especially after we pick up the supplies," he replied. "I'm open to having those discussions then."

Pururu blinked. "All right," she said, surprised that it was that easy.

"Do you want me to come to your quarters or would you prefer to come to mine?"

She choked back the squeak that formed in her throat. "Either is fine," she managed to say.

"Then we'll meet in my quarters after dinner," Garuru decided, turning to leave.

"See you then."

After Garuru was gone, Pururu took a deep breath, then looked around the room. She took a few minutes to tidy up what little mess was there before deciding to return to the communication bay. She was sure that Ponono would be excited to hear the decision. However, as soon as she exited the room, she collided with someone. The two let out startled yelps as they fell to the floor.

"I'm so sorry, Chief Medic! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Taruru. Are you ok?

"Yeah, I'm ok." The blue Keronian smiled apologetically, then helped her get up. "I really am sorry..."

"Don't worry about it," she said dismissively. "Why are you in this part of the ship? Are you feeling all right?"

He nodded. "Yep! Never better."

"Then what can I do for you?"

He glanced down the hall, then back at her. "I want to help you," he replied.

"Help me?" Pururu repeated. "With what?"

"With the Lieutenant, of course!" Taruru answered.

She stared at him for a long moment. "I'm sorry?"

"Well, I was passing by while you two were talking..."

"Why are you making a habit of listening to my conversations?"

Taruru had the decency to look ashamed for a moment, but no longer. "Anyway, I noticed that you two aren't...well...you're not very close. And I know that's mostly the Lieutenant's doing, but..."

"I appreciate your concern, Taruru, but that's none of your business," Pururu replied.

"But I want to help!" he insisted. "You two are some of the nicest, coolest, overall bestest people in the galaxy. And you deserve to be happy."

"That's very sweet of you," she tried again. "But I think we'll be all right without your help."

He fell silent for a second. Then he shook his head. "Pururu," he said quietly. "We both know the Lieutenant. Great guy, but he's oblivious when it comes to this sort of stuff."

She couldn't argue with that. "What do you think you could do to help?" she asked reluctantly.

Taruru shrugged. "A lot of things, though mainly just giving him nudges in your direction. And, of course, distracting the other two when you guys want to be...alone..."

Pururu's face felt like it had caught fire. "Taruru!" she yelled. "That's not funny!"

"Ok, ok," he said quickly, holding up his hands in self-defense. "But what do you say? Want me to help?"

The violet Keronian groaned quietly, wondering what she was getting into. "All right, you can help," she agreed. "But please keep it to a minimum...and subtle. Really, really subtle."

Taruru saluted. "Will do, ma'am!" he said confidently. He started to leave, then smiled back at her. "Hey, Chief Medic?"

"Yes, Taruru?"

"Can I ask one more thing?"

"You're going to anyway."

He laughed. "Yes, well," he continued. "You really like the Lieutenant, don't you?"

Pururu was silent for a moment. Then she turned away from the Private. "If you are inferring that I have a romantic connection with Lieutenant Garuru, then you are mistaken," she said in a professional tone. "I have respect and admiration for him as a leader and a soldier, nothing more."

She could almost hear Taruru shake his head. "We both know that's not true," he commented. "If it was, then you wouldn't have accepted my help." There was a pause. "Well, see you later!"

Pururu nodded silently as he left, then hastily reached for her medical journal and began to read. Nothing negated embarrassment like the promise of injections.

* * *

Remember to leave a review.


	4. Chapter 4

A Proposal  
Chapter 4  
by TheAngryTaco

A/N: Hello out there, my ducklings! After getting caught up with work, a vacation, and a proposal of my own (yes, really!), the hiatus is officially over. Thus, I bring you a new chapter for A Proposal, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Still don't own this franchise, but I sure wish I did. Oh, and I also borrowed Ponono from Mister Don Johnny Cadet Sir again because she's awesome.

* * *

After a while, Pururu shut her journal and returned it to its proper place. She smiled, feeling much better. "All right," she said aloud. "Time to go actually call Miss Ponono."

She hummed merrily as she wandered back to the communication deck, counting her lucky stars as she walked through the door with no interruptions. She had a brief flicker of worry as she wondered where Taruru was, but decided that was a concern for later. A moment later, she was waiting patiently as the phone rang. It only took one ring before someone picked up. "Hello?" came Ponono's gentle voice.

"Miss Ponono, it's Pururu," the Chief Medic said, her lips curling into a smile.

"Oh, hello again!" Ponono replied, a smile audible in her voice. "How are you, my dear?"

"Doing all right, and you?"

"I'm quite well, thank you." The older frog paused. "Dare I hope that you're calling with some good news?"

Pururu laughed. "Yes, Miss Ponono," she replied. "Garuru and I accepted the offer."

There was another pause. Then a most unladylike squeal came through the phone. Pururu held the phone away from her ear for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Ponono apologized as she came back on the line. "Oh, Pururu, I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you," Pururu replied. "I thought you'd like that."

"As long as you're happy with your decision," Ponono pointed out. "And it sounds like you are."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm quite content."

There was a pause as Ponono processed her words. "Pururu," Ponono said finally, her voice growing slightly stern. "Are you really happy with your choice?"

The violet Keronian hesitated. "Yes?"

"But you still have reservations," the older frog prompted.

"...Yes."

Ponono sighed. "Please, Pururu, take my word for it," she said. "Before you walk down that aisle, be totally and completely honest with yourself. If you are not head over heals happy that you are marrying Garuru, call the wedding off."

Pururu blinked. "But we've already confirmed the engagement with Headquarters," she pointed out. "And they are a lot more about business and a lot less about emotion."

"Honey, if you need backup, I would be happy to refresh Headquarters' memory about my assassin training," Ponono remarked drily. "But please, promise me that you won't do this unless you know for sure that you'll be happy."

Pururu nodded. "I promise, Miss Ponono," she assured her.

The blue Keronian let out a small sigh of relief. "Thank you," she replied. "And keep me posted."

"Of course."

"Which, actually brings up another point," Ponono added. "Have you told your parents yet?"

The Chief Medic winced. "No, I haven't," she groaned.

"I don't blame you in the slightest, but you will have to tell them," Ponono said gently.

"I know," Pururu grumbled. "I'm just not ready to have that conversation yet."

"I understand," Ponono said. "Unfortunately, I do have to go now, but please keep me updated."

"Of course. Talk to you soon."

Pururu hung up the phone, then glanced up at the clock. It was getting close to dinnertime. She frowned as she stared at the clock, something in the back of her mind bugging her. A moment later, it hit her. "It's my turn to cook tonight," she said, shaking her head. "Just what I needed."

She trudged down the halls back to the kitchen, some nervous sweat appearing on her forehead. Wiping it away in annoyance, she marched over to the refrigerator and yanked the door open. She stared at the various bottles and jars and bits of food scattered about, her mind going blank. Then she moved over to the cabinets, searching desperately for anything that wouldn't be complicated to make...or that wouldn't catch on fire.

She didn't want to go through that again.

There weren't any green vegetables left, so salad was out of the question. Some of the cheese was...passable, but there wasn't enough for five. A little butter was left, but that wasn't anywhere close to a meal. Spices weren't meant to be eaten alone, so that was out. A small pile of pasta here, an old carton of milk there, something that resembled a dead jellyfish way over there. "We're definitely going to need to restock," she muttered.

Unable to find an alternative, Pururu pulled out the box of pasta and a large pot. Nervously, she filled the pot with water and set it on the stove. The minutes slowly ticked by as the water heated up. Once the water was turning over, she poured the swirls into the pot. She let out a small sigh. "This isn't so hard," she murmured.

She rummaged through the shelves, pulling out vials of spices. She studied her choices for a moment, then selected three that she thought would be nice. Then she found a slotted spoon and began to stir the pasta.

Behind her, she heard the door open and someone walk in. "Pu pu, great. It's the old lady's turn tonight. I hope everyone wrote their wills."

"...Old?!" Pururu squeaked, nearly dropping the spoon.

"That's not nice, Tororo!" Taruru protested as he came in. "Pururu's a great cook!"

"Yeah, to someone with no taste buds."

Pururu examined herself in the reflection on the pot. "I'm not old...no, not old..."

"Oh, don't listen to him, Chief Medic!" Taruru insisted. "He's just cranky about losing another chess game to Kur-"

"Don't say his name!" Tororo snapped, sitting down at the table in a huff.

Taruru shook his head. "How long will it be?" he asked Pururu.

She snapped out of her gloom. "Not too long," she replied, poking the swirls with the spoon. "It's not quite soft enough yet."

"No worries!" the blue Keronian replied. "Do you want any help?"

"No, no," she said quickly. "I've got it." She glanced at the clock. "Any idea where Zoruru and Garuru are?"

"The Lieutenant was in the Communication Bay last I saw him," Tororo answered. "No idea where Scraps is, pu pu."

"Right behind you."

Tororo jumped and shrieked as a metal hand came down on his shoulder. He turned around with his fists balled, though he managed to resist punching the assassin. "Don't do that!"

Zoruru calmly took a seat next to the hacker, ignoring his annoyance. "How did your chess mat-"

"Don't talk about that!"

"Then don't call me Scraps."

Pururu shook her head, then looked back at the pot. "Looks good enough to me," she commented.

Taruru walked over and began pulling plates from the shelf. "Oh, no, Taruru," she said. "I've got it."

"The least I can do is get plates, silly!" he replied, smiling. "The food's all yours. I can't wait to taste it!"

"I can, pu pu."

Pururu turned back to retort, but Zoruru beat her to it. "If I remember correctly, New Recruit, the last time you made anything than cereal, it put us all in the infirmary for three days."

Tororo rolled his eyes. "You're wrong, it was only for one day."

"Oh, yes, that's an improvement."

"That's enough now," Pururu scolded, brandishing the spoon at them. "Now you all sit and behave while I finish making this."

The three younger Keronians did as she asked, watching with varying levels of apprehension as she mixed in the spices and scooped the pasta onto the plates. Smiling, she brought the food over to them, relieved that the kitchen was at least in one piece. "There we go," she said happily. "Now, really, where is Garuru? This isn't like him to be so late."

"Want me to go look for him?" Taruru offered.

Pururu considered it for a moment. "No, that's all right," she answered. "Whatever he's doing is bound to be important."

Taruru shrugged. "If you say so," he said before taking a bite. He carefully tasted the pasta, considering its flavor for a moment. "This is really good!" he finally declared, taking a much bigger bite on the second go.

Tororo and Zoruru exchanged a glance, then began eating themselves. Pururu felt herself relax as she sat down at the table. Then Tororo started to cough. She looked up in alarm to see his face turning scarlet. Before she could say anything, Zoruru grabbed at his throat and started coughing as well. She looked back and forth between them, utterly bewildered. "What's wrong?" she asked frantically.

"...Spicy..." Zoruru managed to choke out. "So...spicy..."

Tororo even didn't bother to speak. He ran to the sink and twisted the knob, letting the cold water run down his tongue and throat. Zoruru scrambled to the fridge and yanked out the cheese, slicing it to miniscule pieces with his hand and shoving it into his mouth. A moment later, the two sighed with relief, though both were sweating profusely. Pururu stared down at her plate, horrified. "Is it that bad?" she asked.

Taruru shrugged. "I think it's great," he replied, chewing another forkful. "But then, I love spicy food!"

"I didn't realize I made it spicy," Pururu muttered, taking a tiny bite. At first, she didn't feel anything. Then she began to feel the oddest sensation on her tongue. After another moment, her entire head felt like it had caught fire. She let out a gurgled cry of pain and ran to the sink, knocking Tororo out of the way. "Oh, that's good," she sighed as the cold liquid brushed away the spice.

"Sheesh. No one in this platoon can cook," Tororo said, wiping his face on a towel. "I'm going to my room to eat food that won't kill me."

Pururu waved him off as she pulled herself away from the sink, feeling dazed. Zoruru nodded at her, his face now its normal grey color. "I'm taking my leave as well," he said before vanishing.

She just shook her head as she sat back down. "I can't do anything right," she muttered, putting her head on the table.

Taruru smiled at her as he gulped down the rest of his dinner. "Pish posh," he scolded gently. "You can cook a lot better than me!"

"That's a scary thought."

He plopped his dishes in the sink, then looked back at her. "You're fine," he assured her. "Now, why don't you go relax for a while? I'll clean."

"You know? I think I will," she replied. "If Garuru comes by, tell him I'm in my room."

A sly grin spread across Taruru's face. "Sure thing, Chief Medic," he said, winking.

It took a moment for the implication to hit her. Then her face began to burn again. "For frog's sake, Taruru!"

He put his hands up and laughed. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry," he said. "Now go on."

Pururu shook her head, but chose to stay silent and attempt to maintain whatever dignity she had left as she made her way to her quarters. Once inside, she eyed the cursed folder that had started all of the madness. Her hand gently traced the edge as she replayed Ponono's words in her head. Would she really be totally happy with Garuru? Would he ever be able to feel anything more for her than professional respect?

She didn't know, and it hurt her heart to think about it.

Weariness began to seep into her mind, so she decided to at least start getting ready for bed. She had taken no more than two steps before a cry of pain echoed through the ship. Taking a guess as to what happened, Pururu ran back to the kitchen. Sure enough, Garuru was doubled over, hands over his mouth and a plate of pasta in front of him. He unceremoniously pushed Taruru out of the way and nearly tore the refrigerator door off, his hand latching onto a carton of questionable milk. His expression changed to one of relief as he gulped down several large swallows. Then he seemed to remember himself, and returned to his usual demeanor as he noticed Pururu. "Good evening, Chief Medic," he said in greeting. "I understand that this dish was your making?"

Pururu nodded nervously as Garuru carefully considered his next words. "I apologize for my reaction," he said finally. "I was not expecting a flavor of that...magnitude."

"It's fine," she replied. "I know I made it...very strong."

"I swear, I'm the only one with any taste buds sometimes," Taruru commented. "Well, I'm off! You two have fun!"

Pururu groaned as he skipped away. Garuru watched her reaction curiously. "Am I correct in assuming that I'm better off not knowing what he was speaking of?"

"Yes, yes you are."

"Very well then." He threw the carton away and wiped his mouth. "Shall we proceed?"

"Oh. Oh, yes."

Pururu followed Garuru through the halls to his quarters. As expected when they arrived, everything was neat and tidy. The bed was neatly made, all of the books were arranged just so on the shelf, not a stray piece of paper in sight. He offered her a chair which she gladly took, then sat on the bed across from her. "I spoke with my father earlier," he said unexpectedly.

"Oh?"

He nodded. "It seems that he has already been made aware of our impending matrimony."

Pururu blinked. "What? How?"

"He's made the acquaintance of a lady named Ponono, and he claims that you had told her about it."

"Yes, I did," she replied honestly. "She like a mother to me, so I wanted to make sure she was aware of the situation."

A flicker of unease passed through Garuru's expression, but it quickly vanished. "Understandable," he simply said. "I just wanted to be sure it was actually coming from you."

She nodded. "What did he actually have to say?"

Garuru coughed. "I would prefer not to repeat some specifics, as I believe he was...intoxicated...when he called. But, he did offer his congratulations, and he wanted to make sure that we would let Giroro know."

Pururu couldn't help but chuckle. Garuru gave her a curious look. "What do you find so amusing?" he asked.

"Just...picturing Giroro's reaction," she answered. "I imagine he'll be rather shocked when he gets the news."

To her surprise, Garuru's lips turned upward, exposing his fangs. "I suppose that is rather amusing," he agreed. Then the smile vanished. "But first, as you noted, we should start planning the ceremony."

She nodded, disappointed that he had stopped so quickly. "Is there anything that you definitely do or do not want?" she asked.

Garuru thought for a moment, then shrugged. "If I may be completely honest, I have never been to a wedding and I have little knowledge as to what the ceremony actually entails," he said. "So I cannot honestly voice an opinion as to what I would like."

Pururu smiled awkwardly. "Well, we're off to a great start," she commented.

"That's not the evaluation I would give it."

This was going to take a while.

* * *

Remember to leave a review and all that.


	5. Chapter 5

A Proposal  
Chapter 5  
by TheAngryTaco

A/N: Another chapter? Another chapter. Awesome. Enjoy and all that fun stuff!

Disclaimer: I don't own Keroro Gunso and I probably never will. How sad.

* * *

Pururu returned to her room with a heavy heart. She and Garuru had sat together for nearly an hour, but neither had been willing or able to voice what they wanted for their wedding. The only thing that had been decided was that it would be as small as possible, not that that was a huge shock. She hadn't expected it to be a huge affair, and with the way things were going, she didn't want it to be. Her eyes started to burn as she reached her quarters, but she took several deep breaths and refused to let herself cry.

A loud boom rattled the entire ship. Red lights began to flash as a warning siren blared. Her exhaustion and sadness vanished in an instant as she raced to grab her big needle and emergency kit. Then she ran to the bridge where she found Garuru, Taruru, and Zoruru. "Chief Medic, reporting!" she said. "What's the situation?"

"We have been engaged by an enemy ship," Garuru replied, glancing up. "Where is Tororo?"

"Here, sir, pu pu!" puffed the voice of the hacker as he ran in.

"Good," Garuru said, returning his focus to the enemy. "See if you can get into their systems."

"On it!" Tororo said, plopping down and typing away.

A beeping sound came from Taruru's station. "Locked on, sir!" he announced.

"Fire when ready, Private," Garuru ordered, typing some commands into his own station. "Lance Corporal, to your pod. Chief Medic, wait at your station."

Zoruru saluted and vanished without a word. Pururu stood anxiously at her station, watching the action unfold. She absolutely hated battles like this, when all she could do was sit back and wait. That just wasn't her style. But orders were orders, and so she remained where she was. She winced as Taruru fired a series of shots at the enemy that just barely missed Zoruru in his pod. Garuru wasn't amused by his shoddy performance. "Private," he growled. "I don't believe I ordered you to shoot at the Lance Corporal."

"Sorry!" Taruru said quickly, refocusing his aim on the other ship.

Pururu shook her head, wondering if the first injury in the platoon would be Taruru's doing. Her gaze wandered to each of her teammates. It was a rare sight to see each frog so focused. Even little Tororo was completely engaged in his task, typing fast enough for his fingers to become a salmon blur. "I'm in!" he said, grinning.

"See if you can determine who has engaged us," Garuru ordered.

Tororo nodded and typed in a command. "Pu pu, it's a Viper ship, sir!"

Garuru's eyes narrowed. "Vipers? How did they get so close to Keron?"

Another beeping caught their attention. "Incoming transmission, sir!"

Garuru nodded to the young hacker. A moment later, a grating cackle filled air. "Greetings, Keronians."

The purple frog made some adjustments at his station, ignoring the voice. A moment later, Viper started screeching. "Are you ignoring me?! Hello?!"

The focus in the room began to falter as Pururu and Taruru curiously watched Garuru. Viper's screeching became more insistent. "You can't ignore me! I'm the leader of my squadron! Hey!"

"You have yet to do anything that would require me to acknowledge you as anything more than a minor annoyance," Garuru said calmly.

Angry spluttering came through the speaker as Pururu covered her mouth to keep from giggling. She immediately stopped as a hail of shots came raining down their ship. A few found their marks, making the entire ship tremble. "Are the shields holding?" she demanded.

"Holding strong, Chief Medic," Garuru assured her.

Suddenly, an explosion lit up the sky. Viper let out a scream of fear before the line went dead. Looking through the chaos, Pururu could just barely make out Zoruru swiftly turning large sections of the ship into scrap. When the ship split in half, Garuru pressed a large button. "Return to the ship now, Lance Corporal," he ordered.

"This isn't over!" Viper said, suddenly coming back on the crackling line. "You haven't seen the last of me!"

Garuru appeared to be trying very hard not to roll his eyes.

The other ship sent a wave of bullets at them, seemingly as a last attempt at causing some damage. They all bounced harmlessly away, vanishing in several tiny bursts of light. After the light faded, Zoruru docked on the ship and returned to the bridge. "Good work, Lance Corporal," Garuru said in greeting. "Though I must inquire as to why you did not disable their weaponry."

"What?" Zoruru asked, staring at Garuru. "That was the first thing I went after."

Everyone on the bridge froze. Pururu felt her heart stop as she processed Zoruru's words. "If you took out their weapons…" she began. "Then how are they still shooting at us?"

A warning beep made her jump. Tororo checked the message that popped up on his screen. then his face went pale. "Shields are down!"

"What?!" Garuru demanded, sitting up straight. "Get them back up, immediately!"

Tororo immediately went to work, typing as fast as he could. Everyone else watched the Viper ship, waiting anxiously to see what they would do now. For an agonizing moment, it appeared as if they had given up and were trying to flee. Then they saw it. "That's a big missile," Taruru commented, his cheerful demeanor nowhere to be seen.

Garuru remained silent for a minute. "Tororo, what is the progress on the shields?"

"They're not coming back up!"

Without another word, Garuru turned the ship, flying as fast as he dared away from the battle. Pururu gripped her needle tightly, trying to fight down the sense of panic that was bubbling up inside her. "They're firing, Lieutenant!" Taruru shouted.

Garuru glanced at his radar, his expression growing eerily calm. "I cannot go faster without the shields, or else we risk the ship being torn apart," he said.

Pururu understood at once what he meant. "It's going to hit us," she stated, her voice growing quiet.

"I will do what I can to avoid that, but the probability is quite high," Garuru replied, his eyes sweeping over to meet hers. Pururu held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded and sat down, placing her trust in him as she always had in dire situations.

True to his word, Garuru did his best to avoid the approaching missile. He steered the ship around a few meteors and even a small moon, always keeping the ship at the same fast speed. But even with his efforts, the missile followed them without a single misstep. Garuru checked his radar again, then spoke a simple command. "Platoon, brace for impact."

The entire platoon obeyed, crouching down and covering their heads. Pururu took several deep breaths, listening as Garuru began to count down.

"Five...four...three...two...o-"

The impact sent the Keronians flying several feet. Pururu winced as several pieces of metal struck her, causing several shallow cuts. But then she heard the groans from her platoon, and her own pain was forgotten. She got to her feet and went to Zoruru, who had landed closest to her. He shook his head as he saw her approach. "I wasn't injured," he told her. "Go see to the others."

She nodded briefly, then zipped over to Taruru and Tororo. The former had nasty cuts on his lip and arms, the latter had only a bruised tail. She quickly cleaned and bandaged Taruru's wounds, then gave Tororo a quick look before leaving him to reset the shields. Now the only one left was…

"Garuru."

His name escaped her lips in a gasp when she realized his arm was sticking out from under a pile of debris. She began frantically digging through the pile, ignoring the biting pain from the hot metal. When she finally reached the purple Keronian, she had to struggle to remain calm. He had several deep cuts and a large burn across his back, one of his legs was bent at an odd angle, and his lip had split open. He attempted to move once he realized he was no longer buried, but all this caused was a low moan to escape his lips. "Garuru, don't try to move," she said quietly. "You're going to be fine."

He didn't respond, so she wasn't sure that he'd heard her. She looked up and found Zoruru watching her. "Lance Corporal, I need you to go to the medical bay and find me a stretcher and a splint, now," she ordered.

Zoruru saluted and vanished. She then knelt down and began to very carefully examine her patient, trying to determine if there were breaks besides his leg. She couldn't find any, but she was still worried that there were other injuries that she just couldn't see. She heard Zoruru returning with the requested items a moment later. "Good, thank you," she said, taking the splint from him. Within a minute, Garuru was on the stretcher with his leg secured, Pururu pushing him as fast as she could across the ship.

After bursting into the medical bay and setting him on a cot, she gathered her supplies and began the long process of putting Garuru back together. She refused to let herself think of anything except the task at hand as she carefully cleaned each cut and applied salve to each burn. Fortunately, only two of the cuts required stitches; everything else just needed a simple bandage. Then she got to his leg. Very carefully, she began to remove the splint so she could wrap it properly. Her reward was another pained groan from Garuru. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I know this hurts. But I can't give you anything for it yet."

His hands tightly gripped the cot, which was the only indication that he was listening. Pururu worked as quickly as she could, setting his leg in what had to be record time. When she was finished, she let him rest as she cleaned the area around him. After a few minutes, his eyes slowly opened. "Chief Medic?" he asked.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" she replied, giving him her full attention.

His hand gripped the table tighter. "What injuries have I sustained?"

She gave him a quick rundown of everything. He shut his eyes briefly, then reopened them. "Who is piloting the ship?"

"I do not know," she answered. "I left all three of them on the bridge."

He considered this. "I need to know what the situation is," he said, attempting to sit up before crumpling back down.

"Oh no, you don't," Pururu scolded. "Right now, your job is to lay there and not make any of your injuries worse. I will go see what's happening and report back to you, but you aren't allowed to move."

Garuru looked as if he were about to challenge her, but chose to remain silent. Pururu nodded, then made her way back to the bridge. Taruru was sitting in Garuru's seat, looking uncharacteristically serious. He stood up and saluted her when he saw her. "At ease," she said. "Are you piloting the ship?"

"Sort of," he replied. "I made sure the coordinates were for Keron and set the ship on autopilot. Tororo was able to get the shields back up, so we're all set there."

"That's good to know," she commented, turning to the young hacker. "Do we know what happened there?"

"No," Tororo replied. "My best guess is that they had some hackers slip in while we were distracted by the call," he replied. "It doesn't appear that they did any permanent damage, though, pu pu."

She nodded in approval. "And Lance Corporal? Anything from you?"

The assassin shook his head. "I'm trying to determine how they could have fired those weapons after I took them out," he said thoughtfully. "It doesn't make sense."

"Do you suppose they just could have been concealed?" Taruru asked. "It seems like it would be easy to hide weapons on a ship like that."

Zoruru shook his head angrily. "I can scan an entire ship and find any weapons they may be hiding," he said. "Which is what I did. And those didn't show up."

Pururu put a hand up. "Never mind that now," she ordered. "Our next order of business is to get safely back to Keron. Taruru, do you think you can handle piloting the ship? Garuru will be out of commission for a while."

Taruru nodded. "You can count on me," he said.

"Thank you," she said, turning to leave. "I will be in the medical bay if you need me."

Pururu ran back down the halls to the medical bay, hoping that Garuru had obeyed her orders to stay put. She let out a sigh of relief as she entered the room and found him waiting patiently on his cot. Checking him over briefly, she found him to be stable enough for medicine, so she went to her stores and readied a small needle. He eyed it with some apprehension as she approached. "I assume that that is absolutely necessary?"

"I'm afraid that it is," she replied.

He gritted his teeth, but voice no further complaints. Pururu quickly injected the medicine, feeling relieved to see it take effect almost at once. The lieutenant's grip loosened and his expression relaxed. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"Of course," she replied, discarding the needle. "Now, I need to monitor your condition for a while, but please try to rest."

Garuru nodded obediently, then looked over at her. He immediately sat up and studied her closely. "Chief Medic?" he asked. "What happened to you?"

She blinked in confusion, then realized he was talking about her own injuries. "Oh, it's nothing," she said dismissively.

He frowned at her. "I know that you are the nurse, but you must take care of yourself as well as others," he said.

"My injuries have little chance of being life-threatening," she replied, frowning back. "Unlike yours. And I wasn't about to let you..." Her voice trailed off, unable to voice the unthinkable.

The two sat in silence for a moment. Then Garuru coughed. "I will attempt to get some rest now, on the condition that you tend to your own wounds."

"Deal," she said, gently placing her hand on Garuru's and squeezing it. He gripped her hand tightly in return, much to her surprise. Her face started to turn pink as the two locked eyes. Then he let her go and turned to do as he'd promised, leaving her sitting with a light blush on her cheeks and a smile on her lips.

* * *

I apologize if the action wasn't very strong. It's not my strongest area.

With that said, remember to leave me a review so you can help me improve and make the story even more awesome!


	6. Chapter 6

A Proposal  
Chapter 6  
by TheAngryTaco

A/N: Good evening, everyone! I'm back with another chapter of A Proposal.

I know several of you have had questions regarding this story and the events in it. If you would like to see the answers, I did a Q&A on my DeviantArt with all of the questions that I received so far. The link is on my profile page. Feel free to ask more and I'll update the post as I get them.

With that said...

Mandatory Disclaimer: I don't own this series or these characters. However, Radodo and Biriri are my own creations.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Good morning, Chief Medic."

She jumped and sharply turned her head. Garuru was sitting with his back against the wall, his piercing eyes focused on her. The nurse felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. "Good morning, Lieutenant."

He shifted ever so slightly. "I apologize, but could you perhaps take a look at my injuries? I will need to go to the bridge soon and I want to ensure there will be no issues."

"Of course," she said, standing up. "Are any of them hurting you?"

His silence was the answer she needed. She put on a smile and found some medicine and clean bandages. After he laid on his stomach, she got to work. "Were you able to rest?" she asked as she tended to his wounds.

"For a few hours, yes," he answered.

"I'm glad to hear it," she said. "The more rest you can get, the faster you will heal."

"I cannot rest for long, Chief Medic. I have a great deal of work to do."

"Don't force me to make it a medical order, Lieutenant."

Garuru turned his head and cast an annoyed look in her direction. Pururu simply ignored him and continued her work. He sighed. "Perhaps we can come to a compromise."

"Perhaps," she agreed. "You can still work, but you'll need to take breaks to be treated. We can work some rest time into your treatments."

He nodded. "A solid plan," he commented. "I believe I can work with that."

She smiled as she finished with his back. Then she noticed his leg. "Have you tried to walk?"

The lieutenant slowly nodded. Pururu sighed in exasperation. "Why did you do that?" she asked. "That's going to make your recovery even longer."

"I hope you will forgive me, Chief Medic," he explained. "But I awoke in the middle of the night to see you had fallen asleep on the floor. I thought you would find a cot more comfortable, and so I moved you."

Pururu stared at him for a long moment before her eyes trailed back to the cot where she had awoken. A moment later, she fully comprehended his words, and her face caught fire. "I...thank you, Lieutenant," she managed.

"Of course."

She zeroed in on his leg and tried to block out all thoughts as she worked. What he said made sense to her; after all, she had no memory of how she got to the cot last night. But if what he said was true, that would mean that he had picked up and held her in his arms.

"Chief Medic, you're very red. Were your injuries treated properly?"

This only made her redder. "Yes, I took care of them after you went to sleep."

"Then what makes your face so enflamed?"

"Please don't worry about it, Lieutenant. It's nothing," she replied as she finished. "Now, let me find you a wheelchair, and we can go."

A short time later, Garuru carefully guided the ship into a hangar in the Keronian military base. No one admitted it, but the entire platoon was glad to see their home planet, even if it was for a short time. The five made their way down the ramp to see quite a crowd had gathered to look at both the damage to their ship and then Garuru's injuries. "Wow. Who did you cross paths with?" a pale blue soldier asked.

"Vipers," Garuru said simply.

The entire crowd nodded grimly, looks of comprehension on their faces. Then most moved on to other things, leaving only a few to take care of the platoon. A dark grey frog stepped forward to greet them. "Specialist Radodo," he said, saluting down to Garuru. "You are supposed to be doing a supply run to Pentonia, correct?"

"Those were our orders," Garuru confirmed.

Radodo eyed the ship critically. "You'll need a new ship for the run," he replied. "Your current one will not hold together with the damage it has sustained. I'm honestly surprised it held up this long."

The entire platoon winced as Garuru shut his eyes. "I don't suppose repairs are possible today," he inquired.

The specialist shook his head. "By the time the ship is in good enough condition to be allowed in space again, you could have been to Pentonia and back," he replied.

"Very well. How long will it take to get a new ship?"

"There are a couple of ships on standby for emergencies like this," Radodo replied. "We can go take a look at them, and then you can choose which one would suit you."

The lieutenant nodded slowly, then turned to his platoon. "You all have leave to go and do as you like while I handle this," he told them. "Check back here in precisely one hour."

"Yes, sir!" the platoon chorused, saluting.

Garuru then rolled away with Radodo. The other platoon members exchanged a glance before Tororo and Taruru both went off to parts unknown. Zoruru then looked over at Pururu. "What are your plans for the next hour?" he asked.

Pururu frowned. "I don't know," she answered. "I suppose I'll just wander around by myself and try not to get too bored."

Zoruru nodded. "You can accompany me, if you wish," he said. "I have no plans either."

"I think I will, Zoruru. Thank you," she replied.

The nurse and assassin made their way out of the hangar and into a hallway. Pururu looked around curiously. "They've changed things a lot since I was here last," she commented.

Zoruru studied the hall, then nodded. "Yes, they have," he replied. "I believe that the Arranged Marriages ward used to be that way. Odd that they made it the Finance wing."

Pururu nodded silently, not wanting to say anything. Zoruru picked up on her discomfort. "Chief Medic, are you sure about marrying him?"

"Why is everyone asking me that?" she asked. "If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have said yes."

"It hasn't escaped notice that you're uncomfortable around him," Zoruru replied. "It's not in your best interests to do something you don't want to do."

"Why do you suddenly care so much?" she asked. "You haven't expressed an interest in my life before now."

He cast her an annoyed look. "I try to look out for my platoon mates," he answered. "I don't think that's a crime."

Pururu opened her mouth to reply, then paused as she noticed a sign on the wall. A slight chill ran through her body. Zoruru saw her expression and looked at her with concern. "Chief Medic? Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine, Zoruru," she said apologetically. "I just realized there's something I actually need to do."

He nodded slowly "Fine," he finally replied, turning sharply. "I shall see you in an hour."

Pururu watched as he vanished, confused and slightly stung. But she couldn't think about that for long. She opened a door and went down a second hallway, carefully following the signs until she found the room she was looking for. She stood outside the door, her nerves returning in a flash. Swallowing hard, she gathered her courage and knocked on the door.

For a moment, there wasn't a sound. Then the knob turned and the door swung open, revealing a pale yellow Keronian. She was slightly taller than Pururu, with dark hair wrapped in a tight bun on top of her head, a bolt of electricity across her belly, and an uninterested expression on her face. "Pururu," she said, apparently unsurprised.

"Mother," Pururu replied.

"What brings you to my office?" Biriri asked. "Not crawling to me to come home, I hope."

"No, Mother," the nurse answered quietly. "I had some news to bring you while I had some leave from my platoon."

The older frog peered at her daughter, then pushed the door open further. "I suppose you can come in, though not for long. I have to be back in fifteen minutes."

Pururu nodded and walked inside. Biriri went back to her desk, where a sandwich was waiting for her. The nurse anxiously sat down across from her mother, who took a large bite before eyeing her daughter. "So, what is this news you have for me?"

"I've...accepted a marriage offer," Pururu explained.

The yellow Keronian froze midbite. Then she dropped her sandwich and stared at her daughter. "You mean, someone was actually interested?"

"Yes, Mother."

Biriri fell silent for a moment. Then she shook her head. "I feel sorry for the poor fool who was desperate enough to say yes to you."

Even though Pururu had guessed her mother's reaction would be along those lines, her heart still sank. "My...fiance...is First Lieutenant Garuru," she said.

Biriri thought for a moment. "The purple kid who used to watch you and your little friends occasionally?"

Surprised that her mother even remembered that, Pururu nodded. Biriri shrugged and returned to her sandwich. "Well, now the match makes more sense."

"How so?"

"Neither of you are desirable," Biriri commented. "This match gets two unattractive, miserable Keronians out of the way. It makes perfect sense."

Pururu shut her eyes briefly and tried to ignore her mother's biting words. "He's not unattractive, Mother," she said. "You shouldn't say things like that."

Biriri rose an eyebrow. "You find him appealing?"

Pururu's pupils shrank as she tried to think of a response. "I…"

Biriri's piercing eyes studied her daughter. "I suppose with such little standards, you'd find anyone appealing," she decided, leaning back. "Was there anything else?"

"No...no, that's it," Pururu answered, looking down.

"Ok, then. I suppose I'll hear from you next when you need money for the wedding," Biriri said, standing and escorting Pururu to the door. "Try not to waste all of your earnings, Pururu. I'd rather not pay for anything."

"I wasn't planning on asking you anyway," Pururu replied.

"Good."

With that, Biriri shut the door. Pururu remained rooted to the spot for a moment, her mind processing everything that had just happened. Then she zipped down the hallway, searching for the ladies' room. She found it just in time and slammed through the door. After a quick check to ensure that she was alone, Pururu slumped down against the door, tears spilling down her face.

After some time had passed, Pururu realized it was probably time to regroup with the platoon. She forced herself to her feet and carefully washed her face in the sink. She studied herself in the mirror and composed her expression until it was serene. Her eyes were red from crying, but she didn't think anyone would be paying enough attention to notice. Then she slowly slipped through the base back to the hangar where she found the platoon already gathered by a small ship. Garuru nodded in greeting, but everyone else ignored her approach - even Taruru, who was looking unusually subdued. "That's all of us," Garuru commented. "Now that you're all here, we have a problem to take care of before we board."

Tororo groaned. "What now, pu pu?"

"It seems that none of the ships available to us at present have individual living quarters for five," Garuru replied. "I chose this one, which is the largest with four. But that means that two of us will have to share living space for the duration of this mission."

Taruru shrugged. "I don't mind sharing a room with anyone," he said, forcing an awkward smile to his face.

Tororo and Zoruru immediately stepped back and shook their heads. "No way I'm sharing a room with anyone!" the young hacker hissed. "You'll steal my snacks!"

"I will not share quarters with anyone," Zoruru growled, his eye a red slit.

Pururu remained quiet as Garuru tried to keep his cool. "I won't leave anyone behind, and this is what we have to work with," he said calmly. "Someone is going to have to concede."

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Pururu saw Taruru's head snap up. She met his gaze, then grew horrified as he looked from her to Garuru and back again. Before she could stop him, he said, "What about you and Pururu, Lieutenant?"

Everyone turned their heads sharply toward him. Garuru looked as if he didn't know whether to ask why or just shoot him. "Come again, Private?"

"You guys are going to be living together in a little while anyway!" Taruru explained. "Why not just start now instead of later? It would make it easier to adjust since you're not going crazy over the wedding, and she can keep an eye on your injuries better. It's a win-win situation!"

Pururu decided then and there that Taruru would be getting her biggest needle on injection day. Still, as his words bounced around in her skull, she had to admit to herself that it was a decent idea. She took another deep breath, then looked at Garuru. "Lieutenant? What do you think?"

He thought about it for what seemed like a year. Finally, he looked back at her. "I have no objections if you have none, Chief Medic."

She nodded calmly. "I have not."

"Then that's settled," he declared. "Come, everything we'll need for the journey has been moved onto the ship. We can organize it once we take flight."

The platoon saluted, then began moving toward the ramp. Garuru waited until Pururu passed him then began rolling beside her. "Is everything all right?" he asked quietly.

She blinked. "Yes, everything's fine. Why?"

"I noticed when you first arrived that you had been crying," he replied. "Is there anything you wish to discuss with me?"

"Oh, no, Lieutenant. Thank you for your concern though," Pururu replied.

Garuru frowned, clearly not believing her. "If you say so," he said after a moment. "If you change your mind, I am willing to listen."

"Thank you," she said. "I'll keep that in mind."

"...Chief Medic?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"...May I request some assistance with getting up the ramp?"

* * *

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